


Imaginary Reality

by hannrose



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-03-21 20:20:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3703973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannrose/pseuds/hannrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel Novak was two when he first saw his imaginary friend. Then, as he grew older and older, the friend never left.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tea Cups -Prologue-

When he was two, Castiel Novak saw his imaginary friend for the first time. Castiel couldn't remember it, or seeing the boy the first time, but when he asked his friend, he didn't hesitate to tell him.

Apparently, Castiel was playing with the new Lego blocks he had received for his birthday. There was no use in building anything because the two year old couldn't connect the blocks together, so he just chewed on them. Time to time, he lined them up in a row and then made them go everywhere with a swish of his wrist.

One day, his imaginary friend walked over to Castiel.

"Cute baby," The friend whispered, even though he was just two years older than Cas. "You remind me of my brother." The friend smiled as he sat down, crossing his legs afterwards. He smiled as he picked up a Lego, and the stacked it upon another. Castiel watched in amazment. "You don't know how to do this?" He asked. Castiel shook his head no, "Well, you see these six holes?" The imaginary toddler showed him the bottom of a Lego, then took another and showed Castiel the top, "You connect this," he held the Lego up, "To this," and then connected all six of the holes.

To two year old Castiel, this was the most exciting thing he's ever seen! These things connect? How was this possible?

"My momma said not to talk to strangers," Castiel said with the new words he learned while playing with his blocks the proper way. The kid looked hurt as he frowned.

"Well," He said, "I'm Dean Winchester." Dean smiled at Castiel, then took a deep breath before saying, "Your imaginary friend." Just by saying that, it harmed Dean in a way he couldn't express. Yet. But, he continued to play Legos with Castiel.

"I'm Castiel Novak." The first thing Cas learned was how to say his full name, Castiel Jimmy Novak. He repeats it every day, and even the though it doesn't feel like it to him, every hour. His parents found it amusing, but his siblings hated it.

On Castiel's second birthday, a month and a half before this occured, they had moved to Lawrence, Kansas due to Jimmy Novak's(Castiel's father) work. He worked as a scientist, and he came up with stuff everyday. He would show his forgetful one year old his new contraptions whenever he built them, and it made Castiel so happy. But, after he got this huge promotion down in Lawrence, he became distant. Jimmy never showed up for dinner, and it didn't feel like he was there anymore. Then there was Castiel's mom, who turned resentful and bitter when they went to Kansas. She had a job, she had friends who loved her, and her family was in South Dakota(where they lived). Now, she has none of those! It's her who has to stay home and take care of Castiel(who was, not putting it lightly, a mistake), and she barley leaves the house unless it's for food. She just wished her oldest, Lucifer, could be finished with school and take care of his sibling. It was selfish of her to think that, because the ten year old was planning of getting the hell out of that house and into a college as fast as he possibly could. When he was told by his mother that, even though his father was gaining enough money, he wasn't exactly the sharing type, so she had to use his college fund for the food and baby supplies and whatever was nessicary, Lucifer was pissed. He destroyed the living room, and was grounded for a month because he 'over reacted'. Lucifer's hated Castiel ever since. Of course, there was still Gabriel. Gabriel was seven when they moved, and adored his younger brother. He would feed Cas when their mother couldn't, and when he wasn't busy with the second grade, he would play with Castiel for an hour. Thankfully, he never had to change Castiel's diaper. Not that Castiel would remember, but Gabriel was really the only person who loved Cas. And it seemed that Castiel was the only person who loved Gabe.

Gabe would pull pranks, a lot of them. Like, instead of Lucifer's toothbrush it was the toothbrush he just dipped in the toilet(he found out while Gabriel snorted toothpaste out his nose). There were a lot more, but no one except Lucifer could remember. He makes efforts to be civilized near his brother, but his attempts always fail.

Back to when the toddler and imaginary four year old met, Dean was taking apart the wall he just made. "I know," He said in reply to Castiel telling him his name.

"Y-You do?" The little one stuttered in surprise.

"Of course!" Dean made up something on the spot, "I was assigned to you, that's how these things work."

Castiel didn't know any better, so he ignored the shift in Dean's eyes.

He smiled at Dean, and they continued to play his Legos together.  
_________________

Over the years, Dean taught Castiel multiple things, even though he was just an imaginary friend. He taught Castiel how to tie his shoe, and that you should always look both ways before crossing the street. Dean told Cas how to be nice to people, but it's fine if you blow up every once in a while. Another thing Cas learned was how to drink out of a tea cup.

When that happened, Castiel was five, and Dean was seven. Cas fidgured that that's how these friends work, they age with you. 

The two were in the back yard, drinking out of Castiel's mother's tea cups. In there was punch, because neither of them even wanted to attempt to use that old rusty stove they have. Cas didn't know how yet, and Dean was afraid of fires. 

They were having a nice conversation about Castiel's kindergarden class, "So there's this boy Aaron, and Dean, he stole my pillow during nap time! Arg!" He had slouched in his seat as Dean started to chuckle when Lucifer walked over. 

Now, he was thirteen, and was sick of Castiel's nonsense. "Castiel, why do you keep talking to nothing?" Lucifer asked. 

Cas knew Dean wasn't real, the five year old has been reminding himself that everyday, but it still hurt him. "I'm talking to Dean, Luci."

"There's no one there, Castiel! The person you're talking to, he's not real! You're insane, Castiel." Lucifer turned back on his heel then, while walking back into the house, Gabriel stopped him.

Castiel wouldn't know this until years later, but Gabriel stood up for him for years. He'd pull Lucifer aside, and he'd tell him, "He's young, Lucifer, don't you remember being filled with hope like that," or, "He'll grow out of it, but let him be happy, for now at lest." Lucifer wouldn't listen though, he'd bully Cas about it until Lucifer went off to college. Unfortunately, it wasn't because he had a imaginary friend until he was five. 

It was that he still had an imaginary friend when he was thirteen.


	2. Do You See What I'm Seeing?

It was an hour after Castiel's birthday had begun when the phone started to ring. On Thursday, November 22nd, 2014, at one twenty three in the morning, Sheriff Jody Mills called the Novak household. At that time in the morning, there would either be a drunk Jimmy passed out on the stairs(or stumbling to get another beer), or a depressed Becky Novak struggling to get her husband to bed. That, or she was waiting up for him to get home, and that wasn't until later. Or, on special occasions, Gabriel would be the only one up. He would be studying for school, for a chance to get into college.

But tonight, the stairs were empty. The living room was vacant, the kitchen was clear of broken glass and there was no sign of bottle hoarding. The silence was an odd occurrence in the Novak household, and the sound was deafening.

Castiel couldn't sleep on that night. He couldn't wait to turn thirteen, and although all he wanted to do was sleep, Castiel was way too anxious.

So, Dean kept him company.

At this point in Castiel's short life, he knew Dean wasn't real. Castiel knew he was insane, and there was no use in even trying to treat him. A therapist didn't work, and the pills didn't, either. Screw it, Castiel thought, there's no way I'm going to a mental hospital. Dean wasn't bad company, though. He was funny, and while he wasn't a genius, he was an adorable smart-ass.

"So, Cas," Dean started as they threw an orange bouncy ball back and forth, "It's one-twenty, you're thirteen." He raised his eyebrows, lifting a side of his mouth slightly.

"And you're fifteen." Cas hid his excitement through a loud groan. Dean rolled his eyes, and got a ball thrown at him at full speed.

He went from one side of the room to the other, in less than a second. "Wow, if I were to be murdered, I'd know who to blame." Dean grabbed the ball and strolled back to his seat.

"That's-" Castiel's laughter was disrupted by Gabriel's ringing phone. It was in the living room, Dean told Cas when he returned from his adventure.

Cas, after being informed that Gabriel was sound asleep, quietly ran down the stairs. A moment of silence went by before the phone began ringing again, and Castiel followed the noise.

"Hello?" Castiel accepted the call after picking up the phone. Dean was adjusting his height so he could be ear level with Castiel. He pressed his ear against the phone and listened.

"Castiel?" Sheriff Jody Mills asked, "Castiel! Well, sorry if I woke you, but I'm afraid this can't wait." Jody wished Cas a happy birthday before telling Castiel the news. Her voice was filled with pity, and Castiel could tell she was ready to cry, "Your parents were involved in an accident. Neither of them made it to the hospital."

The phone dropped, "Fuck!" Castiel screamed, seeing the broken screen.

Dean, awkwardly, blurted out, "How's your birthday going?"

Castiel collapsed to the floor. He expected tears; a butt load that could fill the huge pool next door. After a few second went by with a dry face, Castiel felt like a horrible person. His parents -the people that raised him, maybe even loved him,- are dead, and Castiel couldn't manage to shed a tear. He felt like a horrible person. Cas wanted to cry, he really did.

But, there was nothing.

Dean, seeing how distraught Castiel was, knelt down next to him. Castiel crashed his back onto the ground and covered his eyes with his forearms. He took deep breaths to prevent him from shouting. He was officially and orphan. Gabriel would be taking care of him from then on, and that scared Castiel to death. In a week, they would be starving to death on the living room couch with macaroni and cheese in the cabinet, but they would be too lazy to get up and cook it! 

Dean started to bring his hand to Castiel's knee, but jerked it back. He looked down to his own feet, and then looked back to Castiel. "Cas, um, sorry."

Cas, with his eyes still covered, managed out a small whisper, "It's fine, Dean."

"It's the opposite of fine, Cas! You're parents are dead!" Dean said in a hushed tone, and that made Castiel sit up.

"IT'S FINE!" Cas screamed, and he finally cried.

Gabriel woke up and stormed down the stairs, ready to throw a fit. He opened his mouth to scream, but then he saw Castiel crying. He turned from a pissed off teenager to a protective older brother.

Soon enough, though, he was crying, too.

The next day, the neighbors brought food. Cakes and cookies, meatloaf and tater-tot hot dish, and someone gave Gabriel a case of beer and told him to savor it. He giggled a bit, just to be nice.

During the pity session, Gabriel had called Lucifer. The oldest Novak brother hadn't called since he left for college, and he was never planning on returning home. He had a steady girlfriend, and they were planning on moving to New York and he would fulfill his dream of being a performing arts teacher, and Meg(his girlfriend) would start her doctor career.

Meg Masters was a special person. While she road a motorcycle around campus, and had a bright blue streak in her hair, she wanted to cure cancer. She wanted to treat the dying innocent, and despite her attitude, Meg had a dream of a large family. 

When Gabriel called his brother, he snapped at him. Lucifer went on and about how he was done with their family, that he had enough of his dad's drinking habits and his mom's crowdedness. He finally shut up when Gabriel cut him off, telling him that it was rude to talk about the dead with that tone. 

Gabriel was proud of himself when he hung up. It was the most exciting moment of his life. 

But, the little smirk of his was whipped away when Lucifer's truck pulled up into the driveway. Two people sat in the front, and four suitcases and a motorcycle were chained to the back. 

_________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /I promise there will be more Dean and Cas in the upcoming chapters\


	3. Scrabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short. But, at least I updated! Right?

No matter how hard he tried, Castiel couldn't cancel out the fighting.   
Although his brothers usually fought over things downstairs or in the backyard, it felt like they were right in front of him. Yelling because Cas got a bad grade in school, and Lucifer is screaming at him because he's a failure, and Gabe is screaming at Lucifer because it's only a B-, and he'll do better next time. Or Lucifer is yelling at Cas because he has no friends, and is asking Cas if he still sees Dean. "Dean isn't real. He never has been, and he never will be. YOU'RE INSANE, CASTIEL!"

But, Lucifer didn't yell at Cas for a month. He didn't even speak to Castiel until a week after he got back home. 

That week was hell. Back and forth his two brothers went, about food choices and location placement. Roses or lilacs? "Mom's favorite are roses, so, roses," Gabriel said. "But dad's are like lilacs, so we have to have lilacs," Lucifer responded, his voice filled with anger. After they decided with roses, they argued over what color of roses. Red, because dad always got her red roses on Valentine's Day. No, they should be pink because mom's favorite color was pink. For days they went on about flower colors, and ear plugs weren't helping Castiel at all. 

Then there was Meg. She liked to whistle hard rock songs and, when she got tired of hearing the screams, she liked to blast her music on full volume. Her job search wasn't going well, so all day long she checked up on Cas with the simple questions, "Are you okay," or "Are you hungry?" He wasn't used to that, the constant niceness. 

His mom never offered him sandwiches for lunch. 

So, naturally, it got annoying. 

Dean was his only hope of survival. Between school and his brothers, Dean was his lighthouse. His knight and shining armor, without the whole 'I'll repay you with a kiss' scene. He made sure Castiel wasn't lying to him when he said he was okay, and he wouldn't let it go until he said he wasn't okay. He was never okay. His parents were dead, his brothers were going to kill each other if the funeral wasn't perfect, and the kids at school were nice to him. 

That should be a good thing. But it's not. 

They hated Castiel. He was the anti-social boy with no friends to sit with at lunch, so he ate with the librarian. During gym class they stole his cloths and shoved them in a toilet. But, after his parents' death, they were all over him.   
He was now the anti-social orphan boy who was getting drowned in pity. "Hey, are you okay? Why am I even asking that, of course you're not. Here, have my cookie, I don't want it anyways." Cas could feel the pity in her voice, and he knew she wanted the cookie. She was just being nice to Castiel. 

Dean would be in his room, with that stupid grin he always had when he saw Cas. Instantly, Cas would have the same look on his face. He complained to Dean about his school day and Dean told Cas about the day he had. It was never much. Looking up random things on the internet, watching television until his eyes bled, listening to the neighborhood gossip from the loud mouths next door. That week, it was mainly things about them.

On a Friday, around three in the afternoon, Castiel refused to get up. It had been days after Lucifer had came home, and they were still fighting over the funeral. At that time Meg was at a job interview, and thank god for that, because if she was there, blasting her hard rock music on the highest volume, Castiel might've broken down in tears.

Dean sat with Cas the whole day, playing Scrabble with him, loosing miserably at Scrabble(numia is not a word, Dean), and reassuring Cas that his family didn't hate each other. It was compleat shit though. Castiel knew that Gabriel hated Lucifer, and he knew that Lucifer hated both of his brothers. The family was dysfunctional. 

The family was no better than someone on crack.


End file.
